Switch stand and lock.



A. E. KALTSGHMIDT.

SWITCH STAND AND LOCK.

APPLIOA'IION FILED APR.22,1912.

Patented Dec. 16, 1913.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

,F F7 F1 [21mm TWP] 1 Fl F INVENTOR WITNESSES: n

(A R. S o\'w\'\ I arm/mm I CQLUMBL} c.

A. E. KALTSGHMIDT. SWITCH STAND- AND LOCK.

APFLIOATION FILED APR.22.1912.

1,081,750. Patented De0.16,1913.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

mLUMplA PLMfOGRAPN C0,, WASHINUTON. D. c

A. E. KALTSCHMIDT. SWITCH STAND AND LOCK. APPLICATION FILED APR. 22, 1912.

Patented Dec. 16, 1913.

IN l/E N TOR MITNESSES coLuMulA KLANOGRAPH CO WAEiIHNGTUN 0. c.

A. E. KALTSCHMIDT. SWITCH STAND AND LOCK. APPLIOATION FILED APR.22,1912.

Patented Dec. 16, 1913.

4 SHEBTSSHEET 4.

WITNESSES:

IN VE N TOR TTORNEY orricn.

SWITCH STAND AND LOCK.

1 b all whom it may concern Be it known that I, ALBERT E. KAI/rsoinnin'r, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Detroit, in the county of ayne and State of Michigan, have invented a new and useful Switch Stand and Look, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to means for moving and locking switch-points, and its object is to provide a construction of this type with a locking mechanism which shall be operated by the switclrstand and yet be normally entirely disconnected therefrom; to provide a locking mechanism which shall remain OPQI'ZLtiXC in case the switch-stand is entirely destroyed; to provide a locking mechanism which will. prevent the complete operation of the switch-staml without a complete operation of the switchpoints; and to provide a (:(mstruction of this kind wherein all parts are accessible, which may be easily drained and thus prevent freezing, which may be easily installed at low first cost, and which will be of simple design.

This invention consists in combination with a switch-stand comprising an upright frame, a vertical statl' journaled therein and provided with a crank at its lower end, and a switclrhandlc connected thereto, an op erating rod connecting to said crank and to said. switch-points, of a locking bar connected at one end to the switclrpoints and provided with notches adjacent its opposite end, and a locking device normally disconnected but operable by the switch-handle, at the ends of its switclroperating movements.

ln the :LOCOJIPHHylHg drawings Figure 1 is a plan oi this switch-stand and switchpoints adjacent thereto. Fig. 2 is a perspective of the complete switch-stand. Fig. 3 is a v rtical section on the line 3-?3 of Fig. 5. Fig. l is an elevation from the left in I ig. 3. Fig. 5 is a plan of the top of the switch-stand. Fig. (i is an elevation from the track of the locking device. Fig. 7 is a vertical section on the line 7-7 of Fig. 8. Fig. 8 is a plan of the locking device. Fig. 9 is an elevation of the locking block. Fig.

10 is an elevation from the track of a moditicd term of the locking mechanism. Fig. 11 is a section on the line 11- -11. of Fig. 10. Fig. 12 is a plan of still another form of Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed April 22 Patented Dec. 16, 1913.

, 1912. Serial No. 692,509.

locking mechanism. Fig. 13 is a section on the .line 13--Il.3 of Fig. 12.

Similar reference characters refer to like parts throughout the several views.

It. has long been recognized by railroad men that the locking device for the switchhandle should not alone be relied upon to securely hold in position the switch-points ot. railway tracks. Various devices have been proposed which are operable by the hands or feet of the switclnnen, but are all ob |'cclionable for the reason that they require both independent thought and movement, the necessary time for which is sometimes hwking.

The present construction is designed with two prime objects in view. First, to provide a locking mechanism for the s\\'itch-points absolutely independent of but operable by the switch-hamlle. so that. the destruction of tl i switch-staml through accident will not release the s'\vitch-points. Second, to provide a. locking device tor the switchmints indepcmlent of the locking device for the switch-hamlle, which shall be operated by the switch-handle at the beginning and end of the usual movements of the switchhandlc. The switch-operaling and locking mechanism illustrated in the drawings is (mntrolled by a handle or lever whose movements do not dill'er in any respect from those which are usual in the ordinary switchstands now in common use.

.In the drawings the main rails 1 and 2 are indicated as supported by the ties 3, while the points t and 5 are shown slidable on the plates t3 and connected by means of a bar 7. The opera ting rod 9 passes through a bracket 10 connected to the bar 7 and the locking bar 12 passes through a similar bracket 1?. lioth the locking bar and the operating bar are made adjustable with rcf erence to the connecting bar 7 by means o't nuts fill, as shown in l ig. 1. As this construction is all well known, it is merely shown diagraunnatically.

The standard of the snitch-stand consists in sides '15, a. lower cross bar Hi. an upper plate 17, a stall 18 having the targets '1!) and 20 at its upper end and a crank 21. at its lower end. and the caps 93 and Q-l to furnish bearings for the stall. Secured to the stall intermediate its ends, as shown in Fig. 3,

is the upper guide casting 26 and lower guide casting 27. A bar 28 is vertically slidable in these guide castings and is provided with a slot 29 through which the pin 30, carried by the inner arm 31 of the operating handle 32, extends. This operating handle is pivoted on the bolt 33 carried by the upper guide casting. As shown in Fig. 5, the upper plate 17 has slots 35 through which the upper end 36 of the bar 28 may extend. It will be readily seen that when the switchhandle 32 is swung upward, the bar 28 will be moved down and the upper portion 36 will be drawn down out of the slot 35 so that the staff 18 may be swung by means of the switch-handle. After the staff has been swung the proper distance to operate the switch-points, the handle 32 is depressed as shown in Fig. 3, and the upper end of the bar 28 will be forced upward through one of the slots 35. This bar 28 is preferably formed with a hole 37 in its upper end so that it may receive the hasp of a padlock or other locking devices. The angular distance between the slots 35 in the plate 17 will of course depend upon the distance the crank 21 is to be swung. This crank has a pin 40 which extends through an eye 39 in the outer end of the actuating rod 9, and the fit should be such that when the switchstand is overturned by accident, such as being struck by a timber projecting from a flat-car of a passing railway train, the crankpin 10 will be lifted out of the eye 39 of the operating rod 9, and all danger to the switch-points will be avoided.

The locking device is generally shown in Figs. 6, 7, 8 and 9, and consists of a preferably T-shaped lock support whose arms -12 rest on the ties which support the switchstand and whose arm 13 extends toward the switch-stand. This arm 13 is provided with a slot -14: in which a locking lever 15 is pivoted on a pin 16. At the inner end of this slot 44 is an enlargement 47 in which the locking block 48 is vertically slidable, which block is provided with a slot 49 in its lower end. The inner end of the lever 45 extends into this slot and receives a pin 50 mounted in the lower end of this locking block. This casting is also provided with a slot 52 which receives the locking bar 53, which may be pivoted to the end of the locking rod 12 by means of the pin This locking bar 53 has two notches 54, which may receive the locking tooth 56 on the locking block. It will be noticed that when the outer end of the lever A5 is depressed, the locking block will be lifted and the tooth 56 moved out of the notch 54. in which it has been resting, and thus release the locking bar and locking rod 12. This casting is also provided with a depressed portion or groove 58 in which the operating rod 9 is slidable. The

upper portion of this casting is preferably formed with dove-tail guides 59, which receive the cover-plate 60, which plate may be held in position by means of a pin 61 which passes through a proper hole in the lug 62.

The locking device is operated by the con struction shown in Figs. 3 and 1. The lower end of the bar 28 is vertically slidable in a rectangular slot formed in the lower guide 27 secured to the staff 18. This guide 27 has two brackets 64 which form guides for the trip-arm 65, which arm has a slot 66 through which the pin 67 and the sleeve 68 thereon extend. A pin 69 connects this trip-arm to the bar 28. The lower end 70 of the triparm is bent inwardly and adapted to extend between the jaws 71 and 72 of the lever 4:5. The operation of this construction is as follows: When the parts are in the position shown in Figs. 3, 4L and 7, the switch-points 4 and 5 will be over to the right in Fig. 1, and locked in that position by the tooth 56 on the locking block 48 resting in the outer notch 54!. in the locking bar 53. The upper end 36 of the bar 28 will ext-end through the plate 17 as shown in Fig. To change the switch, the switchman lifts the switchhandle 32, thereby depressing the bar 28 and withdrawing its upper end 36 from the slot 35, and also depressing the trip-arm 65. The first movement of the trip-arm will be for its inner end 70 to swing inward into the space bet-ween the jaws 71 and 72 of the lever 15, along the line 74, and then move down vertically, as indicated by line 73 in Fig. 3, depressing the outer end of this lever 15 and lifting the pin 50, the locking block 48, and the tooth 56 to release the locking bar 53 and the locking rod 12. The switchhandle may then be swung to the left to turn the staff 18 and to swing the crank 21, thereby moving the switch-points to the position shown in Fig. 1. It is possible that by the exercise of great strength, the switchman may be able to move the handle to such position that the trip-rod can be lifted into the slot- 35 without completely moving the switch-points. But any gravel or other foreign body between a switch-point and the adjacent rail, will prevent the bar 53 making its entire stroke and therefore will prevent the tooth 56 from entering the proper notch 54 in the locking bar. This will prevent the outer end of the lever 415 from swinging up and will hold the end '70 of the trip-arm locked against the upper jaw 71, which, in turn, through the bar 28, will prevent the switch-handle 32 from being swung down to normal position, thus indicating to the switchman that the switch-points are in an unsafe condition.

Should the switch be in safe condition, the switch-handle can be easily swung through its full are, and then by lowering the handle, the bar 28 may be moved up to the position shown in Fig. 3, and the trip-arm 65, through its lower end engaging the upper jaw 71 of the lever 15, will swing this lever to the position shown in Fig. 7, thereby moving the locking block 41:8 so that its tooth 56 will enter the proper notch 54 in the bar 53, thereby completing the locking. The end 70 will then disengage itself by moving upward and outward substantially along the line Tel; in Fig. 3, when all the parts will be in normal position.

It will be seen that this locking device is positive in its operation, depending upon neither springs nor gravity, and that any failure in operation will be immediately apparent to the switclnnan who cannot completely actuate the switch-handle. The construction of the cam controlling the movement of the lower end 70 of the trip-arm (35 may be varied to meet the different problems in switch construction.

Instead of having two rods S) and 12 connecting to the switclppoints, a single red 77 (Fig. ll) may be employed, which may be formed with jaws 78 to carry the pm 79. ()n this pin are pivoted the locking bar 80 having notches 8i and a link 82 having an eye S3 to receive the pin l0 on the crank 21. The support 84- has a cover-plate 85 and a groove 86 for the link 82. A lever i5 is pivoted on the pin 88 carried by this support, and its inner end connects to the locking block 89 having a tooth 90 similar to the tooth 56 before described. The arm 70 will operate in the same manner as in the previously described construction, to positively move the tooth 90 into and out of the notches 81.

Another modification of this construction is shown in lfiigs. 12 and 13, where the sup port 93 has a hole cored to form a passage for the locking bar fl t pivoted to the operating rod 95. The locking ar has notches 96 to receive the tooth 97 on the lever 98. A counter-halance 99 a; the track end of the lever normally holds the tooth 9 upward, while the lip 10] is in the path of the end it; of the trip-arm. The crank it has a pin it) which eictends into a slot 102 in the locking-lair. The lever 98 is pivoted on a pin 103 mounted in lugs 104 on the sup port 92-.

Many other changes may be made in the details of the switch-stand without departing trom the spirit of my invention as expressed in the claims.

I claim.

1. in a switch stand, the combination of a standard. a stall revolubly mounted therein and having a crank at its lower end, a switelrlmndle pivotally connected. to said staff, an operating rod connecting to saidi crank and to the switch-points, a lock support adjacent the switch stand, a notched locking bar slidable therein and connected to the switch-points, a locking block slidable in said support and adapted to engage in the notches in said bar to hold the switchpoints in a plurality of positions, a lever to disengage said block, a vertically movable bar connected at its upper end to said handle, a trip-arm connected to the lower end of said bar, and guides for said arm so constructed that a downward movement of the bar will first swing the trip-arm into engagement with said lever, and then swing said lever to disengage the locking block from the locking-bar.

In a switch stand, the combination of a standard, a stall revolubly mounted therein and having a crank at its lower end, a switch-ha1ulle pivotally mounted on said stall", an operating rod connecting to said crank and to the switch-points, a bar connecting to said switch-points, means for locking the bar in a plurality of positions, and a trip-arm connected to said switchhandle and normally out of engagement with said bar-locking means but movable into o )erative engagement therewith at the lirst movement of the switch-handle from normal position.

3. In a switch stand, the combination of a standm'd, a stall revolubly mounted therein and having a crank at its lower end, an operating rod connecting to said crank and to the switch points, a handle to turn said stall and move the switch-points, locking mechanism for holding said switch in a plurality of positions, means cmmeeted to the switch-handle and normally out of engagement with said locking mechanism, for controlling the same.

4-. In a switch stand, the combination of a standard. a stall revolubly mounted therein and having a crank at its lower end, an operating rod connecting to said crank and to the switch points, locking mechanism for holding said switch in a plurality of positions including a lockoperating lover, a switch-handle connected to said stafi to turn the same, a trip-arm connected to said handlc, and guiding means for said trip-arm to cause the same to move into and out of operative engagement with said lever.

in a switch stand, the combination of switch operating mechanism, an independently mounted lock for said switch-points, a controlling member connected to said operating mechanism and normally disconnected from said lock, and guiding means for causing said member to unlock the switch at the beginning oi the movement of the switch operating mechanism and to positively lock the switch at the end of said movement.

6. In a switch stand, the combination of switch operating mechanism, an independently mounted lock for the switch and means mounted on the switch operating mechanism and normally disconnected from the lock, for positively operating said lock.

7. In a railway switch, the combination of a lock for the switch, a switch operating device mounted adjacent said lock, and means mounted on the switch operating device and 10 normally disconnected from the lock and mg witnesses.

ALBERT E. KALTSCHMIDT.

Witnesses EDWARD N. PAGELSEN, HUGO WV. KREINBRING.

M Copies 01 this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents. Washington, D. G. 

